


dongbangappas | french braids

by plincess_cho (ai_hao)



Series: DongBangAppas [2]
Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: Author: Ai, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-04-29
Packaged: 2018-06-05 06:33:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6693304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ai_hao/pseuds/plincess_cho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Changmin learns to French braid his daughter's hair.</p>
            </blockquote>





	dongbangappas | french braids

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lionhhearted](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionhhearted/gifts).



> Quick drabble bc Appa!Changmin is the cutest.

"Daddy, can you braid my hair?"

Changmin looks up from his cereal and over at his daughter. She's standing next to the table holding a brush and some hair ties and looking expectantly up at her father.

"Sure," he replies, trying not to panic. He's never braided her hair before; that was something her mother always did. There were a lot of things her mother always did that now fall on Changmin's shoulders. He swallows hard. They have to leave soon for school; now is not the time for a another battle with grief.

He has Minseo stand in front of him and face the opposite direction. He runs the brush through her silky dark hair, careful not to tug too hard on the knots. Then, he divides the hair into three sections and takes a breath.

Changmin successfully braids her hair and reaches for a hair tie, but Minseo refuses. "No, Daddy, do the kind Mommy does!"

 _Does._ It's just a simple word, a simple change in verb tense, and for a moment, it feels like she's still with them, like she hasn't been gone for nearly four months.

"You know, the kind that braids on top too!" Minseo says, seemingly unaware of the pangs in Changmin's heart.

Changmin realizes that what she wants is a French braid, which is significantly more difficult than just a regular braid. He tries to recall the proper instructions while he brushes Minseo's hair out again, but he can't recall. This is something they didn't teach in parenting class.

"Wait here a minute," Changmin says. He gets up to grab his tablet from the counter and sits back down. Minseo climbs into his lap and peers at the screen in his hands as he pulls up a video tutorial of how to French braid. He sets the tablet on the counter and tries to follow along.

After several failed attempts, Changmin finally succeeds in French braiding Minseo's hair. He ties the braid off at the end and says, "There. All done. Do you want to go look in the mirror to see how it looks?"

Minseo shakes her head. "No," she replies. "Daddy did it so I know it's pretty."

"Go get your shoes on and we'll leave for school," Changmin says, furiously trying to blink back the tears forming in his eyes.

They walk together to the school down the street, just like every other day. Minseo skips alongside her father, trying to keep up with his long strides. The two of them reach the school's entrance and Changmin kneels down to hug his daughter goodbye. "I love you," he says, kissing her cheeks.

"I love you too, Daddy!" she replies, giving him a kiss in return.

He straightens up and hands her her backpack. It's purple, her favorite color, but Changmin spies the Seoul Metropolitan Police patch that she'd insisted on pinning to the bag. "I want to be like Daddy," she'd said.

Minseo greets the teacher standing at the gate. "Good morning, Teacher Lee," she says.

"Good morning, Minseo," the teacher replies. "Your hair looks very pretty today."

"That's because my daddy did it for me!" Minseo exclaims. She points back at Changmin.

"He did a very nice job," she says, nodding to Changmin in approval.

Changmin walks further down the road to report for work, but his heart feels light. He may not be able to fill the giant hole his wife left behind when she died, but he's committed to doing his best for their daughter.

Changmin sits down at his desk and pulls his laptop out from his bag. A bright pink post-it note is stuck to the top.

"I love you!" is written in letters only a six-year-old could muster.

Changmin smiles. It's going to be a good day.

 


End file.
